South Korean telecom carrier KT said Thursday that it aims to become a major force in the nascent Internet of Things market with its creative health care services that incorporate an element of fun.

“With the IoT market getting bigger and bigger, it should be supported by related infrastructure. Based on its widespread telecom and IPTV network, KT aims to become No. 1 in the home IoT market,” said KT’s IoT chief Song Hee-kyung at a press conference in Seoul. 

Considering the home IoT market is already crowded with diverse players, KT intends to focus on health care, among other things.

KT is currently the market leader in Internet Protocol television with 6.63 million subscribers. Based on its own Internet Protocol television applications, the company plans to launch several devices that monitor and analyze users’ daily activities and health conditions as well as add an element of fun to the whole process.

This year alone, the company aims to launch 30 new services and sell some 500,000 devices.

Its GiGA IoT Health Band helps users get personal training by watching videos developed with celebrity trainer Sean Lee. The device analyzes physical activity and recommends customized diet menus.

The company also plans to launch the GiGA IoT Health Bike, a bike that is paired with a video game. The bike, priced at about 400,000 won ($330), changes settings depending on the different modes chosen.

Another service is GiGA IoT Health Golf Putting, an indoor golfing program that mimics the experience of playing at dozens of golf courses across the nation. It is also priced at about 400,000 won.

Data collected through the devices are analyzed by a combined health-care platform, called IoTMakers, which monitors and diagnoses users’ health conditions and recommends suitable treatments.

The platform is ultimately connected to KT’s home IoT service which aims to allow all machines at home to communicate with one another via the Internet.

“I admit our entry comes later than our rivals. But we thought differentiating our services was more important,” Song said. “Our goal is not just connecting all devices, but also offering different values to our customers.”

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)